Lens retaining device



Oct. 6, 1936. M. .1. BELSON LENS RETAINING DEVICE Filed Sept. 27,. 1955k 1 H H M21 00 J Balkan,

INv'ENTo R,

H 15 ATTORNEYg.

Patented Oct. 6, 1936 ATENT OFFICE LENS RETAINING DEVICE Milton J.Belson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Belson Manufacturing 00., Chicago,111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 27, 1935; SerialNo. 42,373 1 Claim. (01. 24.11-41.55)

This invention relates to lens retaining devices.

It is an object of this-invention to provide an improved lens retainingdevice which is relatively simple and inexpensive'in construction andefficient in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new andrelatively more efiicient device for releasably retaining the lens of anautomobile head light lamp, or other lamp, in position of use and insuch a manner that the lens may be readily removed and replaced if andwhen desired.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawing showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View showing a preferredform of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on line 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view on line 3-3 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view on line 4-4 in Fig. 2.

A preferred form of the present invention as shown in the drawing, istherein generally indicated at I0, and comprises a reflector or lamp,housing II which has an open end I2, and an end portion I3 which may beattached by means of bayonet slots I4 (Fig. 2) or in any other suitablemanner, to a mounting or socket I5, and a conventional lamp bulb 26 isshown mounted in the socket I5 and arranged in the housing I I.

Arranged over the open end I2 of the reflector housing II is atransparent or like lens I6 and the present invention is particularlyconcerned with the provision of a novel means for releasably retainingthe lens IS in position of use upon the reflector housing I I so thatthe lens I6 may be readily and quickly removed and replaced as and whendesired.

To this end there is provided upon the reflector housing II, at the openand I2 thereof, a flange or crimped edge I I which extends aroundapproximately one-half of the peripheral edge or circumference of thehousing II, at the open end I2 thereof, and this flange I'I provides areceptacle for a part of the peripheral edge portion I8 of the lens I6.

Pivotally mounted at its ends, as at I9, upon the reflector housing II,adjacent the open end I2 of the latter, and adjacent the ends or terminiof the flange I'I,is a'bale or lens-clamping ring 28 which includes adepending flange 2I.

Attached to the clamping ring 20, as at 24, is a resilient latch arm 22and this latch arm 22 in- 5 cludes a clamping portion 23 which isreleasably engageable with a latch keeper or stud 25 which is struck upfrom the surface of the housing II (Fig. 1).

Operation 10 The reflector housing II may be detachably or otherwiseattached to a suitable support such, for example, as the lamp socket I5,and in any suitable manner, as by means of bayonet slots I4 15 or thelike.

In order to releasably clamp a transparent or like lens I6 upon thehousing II the clamping member or bale 20 may be moved intogpen position(as in dotted lines, Fig. 3), and the lens I6 may be placed against theopen end I2 of the 20 reflector housing II and above the receptacle orflange II, (as the parts are seen in Fig. l), whereupon the lens I6 maybe moved in a downward direction, and into the place in which it isshown in Fig. 1, until the lower peripheral edge 25 portion I8 thereofis disposed in the receptacle or flange IT. The clamping member 20 maythen be pivoted back into closed or effective position, (from dotted tofull line position, Fig. 3), whereupon the resilient latch element orarm 23 30 will engage the latch keeper 25 and retain the clampingmember, 20 in eflective or clamping position, as in Fig. 1; it beingnoted that when the clamping member 2ll-2I is in efiective or clampingposition, (as in Fig. 1, full lines, Fig. 3) 35 the depending flangeportion 2I of the clamping member 20 bears against the outer face of thelens I6 and urges the latter into engagement with the wall which definesthe open end of the housing II. In this manner the flange or receptacleI1 and the clamping member 202I cooperate to releasably retain the lensI6 in position of use.

If it is desired to remove or replace the lens I6 this may be readilyaccomplished by unlatching the spring latch element or arm 23 from thelatch keeper 25, and then pivoting the clamping member 2G-2I into openposition (from full to dotted line position, Fig. 3), whereupon the lensmay be removed by lifting the same upwardly out of the flange orreceptacle I7 and in a plane or direction parallel to the plane in whichthe lens I 6 is shown in Fig. 1.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable ofvariation and modification, without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaim.

Having thus described my invention, what I A lens-retaining devicecomprising a lamp"- housing including a body having an open end and saidbody being substantially circular in cross section at its said open end,said body-including a portion formed integrally therewith and saidportion providing a groove substantially channel-shaped in crosssection, said groove extend+ ing around approximately the lower halfportion of the periphery of said housing at the said open ndtber cf andbeing disp sed' a a ly tward y the beds o s i h u in a d beyond. t eouter p ipherals-21 m he eof, s d roov p viding a receptacle forapproximately the lower half portion of a lens arranged upon saidhousing at the said open end thereof, a clamping bale including a mainbody substantially semicircular in cross section and having end portionsformed integrally with the said body and lying in a common plane withthe latter, said end portions being pivotally mounted directly upon saidhousing adjacent the said open end thereof and adjacent the upper endportion of said groove, the said body of said clamping bale, when ineffective position, projecting only partially, and a relative- 1y shortdistance, over the said body of said housing from the said open endthereof and less than the entire axial length of said body between theends thereof, said clamping bale including a portion cooperating withsaid groove to retain a lens upon said housing whereby the said lens maybe inserted into and removed from the said receptacle in a directiontransverse to the long axis of said housing, and means for releasablylatchngthe "s id clamp ng al n lat hed r e ective position upon a hous nI ON J LSQN-

